Department for Transport

Large Goods Vehicles: EU Countries

Lord Lamont of Lerwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking (1) to assist small charities attempting to take humanitarian supplies by lorry to Ukraine via the EU, and (2) to help them obtain the correct permits.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: We are aware that charitable organisations in the UK have launched appeals for donations of emergency funds and goods to provide humanitarian relief in Ukraine. Those charities seeking to take humanitarian supplies by lorry, to Ukraine via the European Union (EU) will need to follow the requirements for all hauliers. These requirements will differ depending on whether the charity is using its own vehicle or is hiring a lorry for the purpose. This can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/carry-out-international-road-haulageStep by step information for hired goods vehicles, setting out how to transport goods from the UK by road can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/transport-goods-from-uk-by-road. Guidance for private vehicles driving through the EU can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/driving-in-the-euPermits are not required to access Ukraine when using vehicles that are EURO V or above, this will include the majority of goods vehicles including HGVs, where further advice is required this can be provided by the International Road Haulage Permits Office (IRHP) which is part of the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA).In relation to Ukraine, we strongly advise that all those considering making this type of trip for humanitarian purposes, or otherwise consult the current travel advice provided by the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and published on gov.uk for Ukraine, and any countries they propose travelling through as part of their journey. The advice for Ukraine is published at: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/ukraine

Ports

Lord Naseby: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of data from FourKites, reported in The Daily Telegraph on 28 February, which found that shippers spent an average of more than seven days discharging at British ports compared to a European average of five days; and what assessment they have made of the reason for this difference.

Lord Naseby: To ask Her Majesty's Government why Britain's share of transshipments has fallen to four per cent from a high of 14 per cent in February 2021; and what steps they are taking to reverse this trend.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The pandemic has provided a challenging period for international and domestic freight movements due to the uncertainly in markets and supply chains. This has impacted on freight operations in the UK, Europe and globally as operators dynamically adjust to the prevailing worldwide conditions. This may have contributed to the factors being reported by FourKites over the last year, however it is too early to assess whether this indicates any broader trend. Government is closely engaged with shipping lines and ports to monitor sector developments.

Shipping: Russia

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to restrict Russian ships from using British ports.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Secretary of State for Transport wrote to all UK ports on 28 Feb 2022 asking them not to provide access to any Russian flagged, registered, owned, controlled, chartered, or operated vessels.Legislation has followed this and the Government made Regulations (The Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) (Amendment) (No.4) Regulations 2022) on 1 March 2022 which restrict any Russian flagged or registered ship, or any ship owned, operated, controlled or chartered by a person connected to Russia, arriving at a UK port. This was a vital measure to take in response to Russia’s actions in Ukraine and the Government has acted accordingly.

Cycling: Accidents

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Vere of Norbiton on 22 February (HL6199), how many of the 141 pedal cyclist fatalities in 2020 were children and young people.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: There were 9 pedal cyclist fatalities aged under 16 in reported road collisions in Great Britain in 2020.

Department of Health and Social Care

Dental Services: Contracts

Baroness Redfern: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will make full data available to enable measurement against the aim to improve oral health outcomes included within national dental contract reform; and what plans they have to support this aim by encouraging all English schools to become sugar free.

Lord Kamall: Data on oral health outcomes is available through the biennial National Dental Epidemiology Programme for England: oral health survey of 5-year-olds 2019: A report on the variations in prevalence and severity of dental decay, last published in March 2020, and the Adult Dental Health Survey 2009 – First Release, which is carried out every ten years. The latest survey was carried out in 2009. Copies of these surveys are attached. We are currently proceeding to fieldwork on the current adult survey.The Government encourages all schools to promote healthy eating and provide healthy, tasty and nutritious food and drink. Compliance with the School Food Standards is mandatory for all maintained schools, including academies. The Standards restrict foods high in fat, salt and sugar, including high sugar foods and confectionery.ADHS (pdf, 185.9KB)NDEP (pdf, 1276.2KB)

Ophthalmic Services: Standards

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to implement targets for NHS eye care services to reduce waiting times for follow-up appointments.

Lord Kamall: We have no plans to introduce targets. All follow up appointments should take place when clinically appropriate.

Respiratory Syncytial Virus: Babies

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many infant hospital admissions in each month of 2021 were as a result of Respiratory Syncytial Virus-related illnesses in each NHS hospital trust in England.

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what data are available on the impact of Respiratory Syncytial Virus on (1) A&E attendances, and (2) hospital admissions, broken down by NHS hospital trusts in England.

Lord Kamall: Information on attendances to accident and emergency departments and hospital admissions is not held in the format requested. Whilst some data on admissions of children aged 0 to four years old with a primary and secondary diagnosis of Respiratory Syncytial Virus are held, case numbers by hospital trust are not available in order to protect patient confidentiality.

Coronavirus: Screening

Lord Mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effect on clinically vulnerable people if lateral flow tests are no longer provided for free.

Lord Kamall: From 1 April 2022, free access to asymptomatic and symptomatic tests for the public in England will end. We will continue to make testing available for a small number of at-risk groups. Further details on eligible groups will be made available in due course.

Mental Health Services: Children in Care

Lord Watson of Invergowrie: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many looked after children in England were referred to mental health services in (1) 2021, and (2) 2020.

Lord Watson of Invergowrie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of children in England referred to mental health services in each year from 2018 to 2021 were looked after children.

Lord Kamall: The information is not held in the format requested as the number of looked after children referred to mental health services is not collected.

Medical Records: Data Protection

Baroness Cumberlege: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Lord Bethell on 8 June 2021 (HL Deb cols 1219–20), what improvements they have made to the process for patients opting out of their medical data being used for research and planning; and how each patient can see where data about them are used.

Lord Kamall: Whilst no recent changes have been made to the patient opt-out process, we are considering further engagement with the public, patients, service users, staff and stakeholders. This will include raising awareness of the opt-out system, with the aim of making the process simpler and more transparent and how tools such as a transparency statement could help patients understand how their data is used. We will provide further details in the data strategy for health and social care, due for publication in spring 2022.

Oral Tobacco: Health Hazards

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Kamall on 15 November (HL3287), why they have referred to the Food and Drug Administration's 2016 assessment of the health risks associated with using snus, rather than the 2019 assessment.

Lord Kamall: In the Written Answer of 15 November 2021, we incorrectly provided the 2016 assessment of the health risks associated with the use of snus. We have arranged for the record to be corrected. A copy of Scientific Review of Modified Risk Tobacco Product Application (MRTPA) Under Section 911 (d) of the FD&C Act – Technical Project Lead published in 2019 is attached.SMUSA (pdf, 1540.3KB)

Coronavirus: Screening

Baroness Finlay of Llandaff: To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the introduction of updated COVID-19 test validation approval processes (CTDA), what guidance is available to testing manufacturers regarding submitting applications (1) for new tests and (2) for an updated approved product; and what is the expected timescale from application to decision for such applications.

Lord Kamall: The online only guidance COVID-19 test approval: how to apply advises testing manufacturers on the validation process for new devices. The guidance sets out the process from submitting an application; the desktop review; how payment can be made; the outcome reporting on tests which have passed; how to make a complaint; and where an application is unsuccessful, how the manufacturer can request a review of the decision.For updates to products while an application is being considered, applicants must inform the COVID-19 Test Device Validation Approval processes (CTDA) administration team and provide the updated Instructions for Use. For updates to approved products, manufacturers are encouraged to contact the CTDA administration team. Guidance for such updates is currently being developed.The CTDA team aim to have the results of the application review within 20 working days of submission, subject to the application being complete. This process may take longer where there is a high volume of applications and if there are additional queries on the data submitted.

Department for Education

T-levels

Lord Jones: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to ensure that (1) schools, and (2) colleges, are fully (a) engaged, and (b) committed, to the T-Level programme in their areas.

Baroness Barran: We have raised awareness of T Levels through targeted engagement with schools and colleges, working with education sector organisations, and marketing campaigns aimed at students, parents and employers. There are currently just over 100 providers delivering T Levels, including colleges and schools. Over 400 providers are planning to deliver T Levels from 2023, with all general further education colleges included at that point.We have given significant, early support to providers to ensure readiness for delivery, including network events, peer support, and funding to build capacity for industry placements and workforce preparation. We are also working closely with Ofsted to ensure the successful delivery of T Levels more broadly and have commissioned a thematic survey of the first three years of T Level delivery. This will help us identify strengths, weaknesses and areas for improvement across a substantial sample of providers to help inform best practice for the future rollout.

Ministry of Justice

Prisoners' Release: Females

Baroness Hodgson of Abinger: To ask Her Majesty's Government what accommodation support they provide for women on release from prison who have been held on remand.

Baroness Hodgson of Abinger: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the reliability of their data on whether women leaving prison have (1) safe, and (2) sustainable, accommodation.

Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: Our vision is that no one who is subject to probation supervision is released from prison homeless.Women on remand are supported to meet resettlement needs and prepare for release by Probation staff in prisons. We will supplement this support from Probation staff with access to specialist accommodation support for all women on remand or sentenced in custody by the summer of this year.We currently provide a Community Accommodation Service (CAS3), which provides temporary accommodation for sentenced women at risk of homelessness upon release from prison, in five probation regions and aim to expand this to all regions across England and Wales.In 2021, we introduced Housing Specialists in twenty prisons, including four women’s prisons, to support prisons and probation in their strategic response to reducing homelessness. We intend to increase these to 48 across England and Wales, including across the women’s estate.The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) launched their Accommodation for Ex-Offenders (AFEO) scheme in July 2021 to support offenders at risk of homelessness into private rental tenancies. Overall, this financial year, £13 million has been allocated to 87 schemes across 145 local authorities.To ensure consistent and accurate data recording, HMPPS, in collaboration with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities (DLUHC) and the Welsh Government, has recently updated the Accommodation Recording Guidance to ensure Probation regions have a clear and consistent understanding of the accommodation status definitions, and how to record accurately. The Guidance defines homelessness as where an individual is rough sleeping, squatting, residing in night shelters, emergency hostels or campsites. Individuals with other forms of temporary, short-term or otherwise unstable accommodation are encompassed by the ‘unsettled accommodation’ category in published statistics.Accommodation circumstances for offenders are reported annually as official statistics. Data for the period 01 April 2021 to 31 March 2022 will be published in July 2022 in the Community Performance Annual report.

Magistrates: Recruitment

Lord Jones: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support the recruitment of more magistrates to the bench.

Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: The recruitment of more magistrates is the Government’s top priority for the magistracy. The MoJ is investing £1 million this financial year into a programme of work to improve magistrates’ recruitment. A digitised and more inclusive recruitment process which will improve data collation was launched in January, alongside an inclusive marketing strategy which aims to targets a wider, more diverse audience, attract more applicants and recruit more from under-represented groups. Additionally, we are legislating to increasing the judicial mandatory retirement age to 75. This will retain around 400 judges and 2,000 magistrates more annually, when compared to retaining the current age of 70.

Judges: Females

Lord Jones: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many practising female judges there are in England and Wales.

Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: Statistics on the diversity of judicial office holders are published annually, alongside statistics on members of the legal professions and those applying for judicial appointments. The 2021 ‘Diversity of the Judiciary’ statistics (https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/diversity-of-the-judiciary-2021-statistics) record that as at 1 April 2021, in England and Wales there were:1,119 female court judges – 34% of total.870 female tribunal judges – 49% of the total (this includes judges of the UK tribunals, some of whom may sit mainly in Scotland or Northern Ireland).1,989 total female judges (39%). We recognise that more progress is required to achieve a gender-balanced judiciary. The Lord Chancellor is a member of the Judicial Diversity Forum (JDF) and works closely with the Lord Chief Justice, Chair of the Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) and other members of the JDF, including the three relevant legal professional bodies, to address barriers to achieving greater gender balance in the judiciary. In December 2021, JDF members published their updated action plan, which sets out actions to support greater diversity in the judiciary at every stage; from the legal profession to the judiciary itself.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Xinjiang: Hikvision

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of the United States regarding any link between Hikvision and internment camps in Xinjiang.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We have regular discussions with the government of the United States and other international partners about the situation in Xinjiang, including in relation to our shared concerns about mass surveillance in the region, and the technology used to facilitate it. Together with partners, we have consistently made our concerns clear, including in a joint statement at the UN Third Committee in October 2021 that called out China's widespread use of surveillance to target Uyghurs and other minorities in Xinjiang.

Russia: Diplomatic Relations

Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to recall the UK Ambassador from Moscow.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We do not currently have plans to recall the UK Ambassador from Moscow.

Ministry of Defence

Ukraine: Armed Conflict

Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the outbreak of hostilities in Ukraine, whether they will review the amount of national resources devoted to defence spending.

Baroness Goldie: The Government is clear that Defence should be led by our understanding of the threats it needs to counter. The Government's Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy, published last year, sets out how the Department will respond to the threats to the UK and recognises that the 'bulk of the UK's security focus will remain' on the Euro-Atlantic region. This was supported by the Spending Review 2020 settlement of an additional £16.5 billion for Defence which will support modernisation of our Armed Forces.

Type 45 Destroyers

Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty's Government, what plans they have to accelerate the Propulsion Improvement Programme for the Type 45 Destroyers to ensure that the fleet is fully operational before 2028 as currently scheduled.

Baroness Goldie: We continually review optimal delivery within the Complex Warship Support Plan. The Type 45 ships remain available for operational tasking when not undergoing maintenance activity or their PIP conversion. HMS DAUNTLESS, the first ship to undergo the PIP conversion, has commenced a harbour trials programme and is due to return to sea later this year for sea trials. HMS DARING is currently at the Cammell Laird shipyard in Birkenhead, with conversion work to be carried out during 2022. The Ministry of Defence will take into account the lessons learned from HMS DAUNTLESS and apply them to HMS DARING's conversion. The programme is dependent on the availability of ships to undertake the upgrade, balanced against the Royal Navy's current and future operational commitments. PIP conversions are planned to take account of the regular Upkeep cycle to maximise overall class availability and meet the readiness profile required to meet Defence outputs.

Home Office

Migrant Workers: Vacancies

Lord Blunkett: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers byBaroness Penn on 21 February (HL6024 and HL6025), what impact analysis was undertaken by the Home Office on likely labour shortages arising from policies designed to treat EU citizens on the same basis as migrants from other parts of the world.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Home Office published “Impact Assessment for Immigration and Social Security Co-ordination (EU Withdrawal) Bill 2020” which is attached (1) and “Impact Assessment for changes to the Immigration Rules for Skilled Workers” which is also attached (2), respectively.1 (pdf, 1469.8KB)2 (pdf, 1409.2KB)

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Local Government: Motor Vehicles

Baroness Randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what records they have, if any, of the total numbers of local authority (1) owned, and (2) operated, vehicles; what percentage of those are (a) electric, or (b) hydrogen, powered; what targets have they set, if any, for local authorities to increase the percentage of their fleets which are zero carbon; and when they forecast any such targets will be reached.

Lord Greenhalgh: Local Authorities are autonomous bodies who have the power to make internal decisions regarding their fleets. The Government does not currently collect data on the breakdown of vehicle types in the local government fleet, or data on the emissions from those vehicles.   The Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) collects data on local emissions as a whole, and is responsible for public sector decarbonisation. The Office for Zero Emissions Vehicles (OZEV) is responsible for the deployment of low carbon vehicles, including the decarbonisation of government fleets. OZEV's Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Strategy will set out the role of local authorities in contributing to the rollout of electric vehicles.

Treasury

Gambling: Internet

Viscount Astor: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the loss of (1) tax revenue, and (2) Horse Racing Levy income, due to illegal online gambling.

Baroness Penn: (1) The information requested is not available: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) does not make an estimate of the amount of revenue lost through illegal online gambling. HMRC estimates the tax gap[1], the difference between the amount of tax that should, in theory, be paid to HMRC, and what is actually paid. For the tax year 2019 to 2020, the other excise duties tax gap, which includes betting and gaming, cider and perry, spirits-based ready-to-drink beverages and wine duties was £610 million. (2) The Horserace Betting Levy Board (HBLB)[2] is an executive non-departmental public body, sponsored by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport; and is required to collect a statutory levy, the Horserace Betting Levy. The information requested is not available from HMRC. [1] Tax gap statistics are available at: Measuring tax gaps - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). [2] Horserace Betting Levy Board has a separate website: https://www.hblb.org.uk/

Personal Loans

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to introduce legislation to make debt restructuring binding for all private creditors on loans provided for under legislation for England and Wales.

Baroness Penn: The Government currently has no plans to introduce legislation to make debt restructuring binding for private creditors on loans. To support people in problem debt, the Government has agreed to maintain record levels of funding for free-to-consumer debt advice in England in 2021-22. In addition to this, the Breathing Space scheme launched in England and Wales last year, offering people in problem debt a pause of up to 60 days on most enforcement action, interest, fees and charges, and encouraging them to seek professional debt advice. The Government continues to develop the Statutory Debt Repayment Plan (SDRP), a statutory agreement that will enable a person in problem debt to combine their debts into a single repayment that they make over a manageable time period, while receiving legal protections from creditor action for the duration of their plan. The Government is aiming to launch a public consultation on draft SDRP regulations as soon as possible this year and has committed to aim to lay regulations by the end of this year and launch the scheme in 2024.

Individual Savings Accounts: Children

Lord Lee of Trafford: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are their reasons for preventing grandparents fromopeningJunior ISAs for their grandchildren; and what assessment they have made of the compatibility of this prohibition with their policy of encouraging people to save more.

Baroness Penn: The Government is committed to ensuring that young people are supported to save from an early age and into adulthood. Junior ISAs (JISAs) form a key part of this commitment. Where a JISA is opened on behalf of a child, the account must be set up and managed by an individual with parental responsibility for that child, or the child itself if over 16. To ensure that the ISA regime remains simple and sustainable, placing a restriction on who can open and manage an account prevents more than one Junior ISA of each type (cash or stocks and shares) being opened in error and ensures that there is a single point of contact for the giving of instructions. A grandparent who does not have parental responsibility is therefore unable to open or manage a Junior ISA on behalf of their grandchild. However, the Government recognises the important role that grandparents can play in building a savings pot for their grandchildren. While parents or legal guardians must open a JISA on behalf of their children, grandparents and others can then add funds to the account, up to the value of £9,000 a year. The Government continues to keep all aspects of savings policy under review.

Women and Equalities

Social Mobility

Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown: To ask Her Majesty's Government what further steps they are taking to improve social mobility.

Baroness Stedman-Scott: This Government believes the circumstances of one's birth should not determine life outcomes.We recently published our landmark Levelling Up White Paper, which sets out our ambitious plans to spread opportunity more equally across the UK.The Social Mobility Commission is important to our levelling up agenda. We have bolstered the work of the Commission by recruiting a new Chair and Deputy Chair and giving the Commission more leverage to influence other government departments. We are also running a competition for new Commissioners and the new board is expected to be in place by Spring 2022.To support our levelling up agenda, the Minister for Women and Equalities announced the Equality Data Programme to ensure that geographic and socio-economic inequality is considered, alongside other factors, when identifying barriers to opportunity.We will use evidence from the Equality Data Programme and Social Mobility Commission to inform and support the development of policy across the Government to level up opportunities across the UK.

Gender Recognition Act 2004

Baroness Noakes: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to change the wordingof the Gender Recognition Act 2004; and if so, what changes they intend to make.

Baroness Stedman-Scott: The Government held a public consultation on the Gender Recognition Act (GRA) 2004 in 2018, to which we responded in 2020. We carefully considered the responses to the consultation and concluded that the balance struck in the legislation is correct. There are proper checks and balances in the system for people who want to change their legal sex and we have no intention of altering the requirements of the Gender Recognition Act 2004.A judicial review in Northern Ireland last year found that the use of the term “disorder” within the definition of gender dysphoria (Section 25(1) of the GRA) was incompatible with the applicant’s rights under the European Convention on Human Rights as reflected in the Human Rights Act 1998. The High Court held that the use of the term was outdated and unjustified. The Government will be introducing a Remedial Order to remove the term ‘disorder’ in due course.More widely, we are progressing in our commitments to make the gender recognition process more straightforward and accessible. That is why we have already reduced the fee to £5 and are digitising the application process to make it more accessible and easier to navigate.